Nintendo Switch Branded SD Cards by Hori Will Be Available For 3X The Price Of A Normal SD Card

[Xanthe_2871]

Quote

Nintendo has partnered with HORI for “official” Switch-branded 16 GB and 32 GB SD cards. While it may be logical that Nintendo would sell official cards (these are for the Japanese launch, but there may end up being Western equivalents) the problem is in the price.

 

The 32 GB card is ¥7,900, or about $70 USD. But on Amazon, the “high end” 32 GB SD card from Sandisk is ¥2,690, or about $23 USD. Past that, if you want a cheaper version with the same amount of storage (but with slower read/write speed perhaps), you can find one for as little as ¥1,180/$10.

This is very interesting. While it's since been noted on the article that the true markup is less than 3X it's still being priced at a premium without offering any actual advantage. I wonder how many people will buy into this without doing any research. Similar schemes were pulled for the Wii and the DSi/3DS. 

 

Luke mentioned in his video about the Switch that other companies might make 3rd party switch docks; this SD card story may be the first of many as companies try to cash in with Nintendo Switch type-c cables, power packs, etc. Many consumers, particularly parents, are likely to buy the option with Switch branding rather than risk buying the cheaper option and have it not work. 

 

What do you think?

 

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2017/01/29/new-nintendo-switch-branded-sd-cards-cost-3x-more-than-normal-ones/#2bc045945bc0

[Guest]

So basically Apple but for gaming?

[it_dont_work]

So exactly like the ps1 and ps2, aftermarket memory cards were about a third the price. Given the difference here is sd cards aren't help back by patent and licensing as the ps memory cards were.

[Mooshi]

Controllers are the only things worth buying 1st party from consoles. 

[Xanthe_2871]

9 minutes ago, deXxterlab97 said:

So basically Apple but for gaming?

Good point! Yes!

[manikyath]

14 minutes ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

¥7,900, or about $70 USD

you know.. if i had any expectation of media, i'd have questioned why they didnt look at what current SD cards cost in japan.

[Robots (2005)]

if anyone is surprised by anything like this anymore I will be dumbfounded,

 

companies do anything they can to make more money, im not against it but I wont buy it, but I still respect a fellow money maker.  even if they are a corrupt company (not nintendo)

[Clyne]

Better than Sony with PS Vita memory cards...you have to use their cards or there is nothing else to use.

[mbryant]

2 hours ago, deXxterlab97 said:

So basically Apple but for gaming?

Not quite, because you can still use any SD card and they don't force you to use the Nintendo one, lol 

[mbryant]

2 hours ago, Bubblewhale said:

Better than Sony with PS Vita memory cards...you have to use their cards or there is nothing else to use.

Same thing applies with a lot of Sony cameras ( video and photo) 

[Megah3rtz]

1 minute ago, mbryant said:

Not quite, because you can still use any SD card and they don't force you to use the Nintendo one, lol 

WE HOPE /s

[Clyne]

2 minutes ago, mbryant said:

Same thing applies with a lot of Sony cameras ( video and photo) 

Memory stick/Magic Gate was cheaper than Vita cards...

[suicidalfranco]

could be worse

 

at least you have the option to buy from third parties. Nintendo better sell the equivalent to class 10 cards though, else this is just as big of a scam as the pay2online 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mbryant said:

Not quite, because you can still use any SD card and they don't force you to use the Nintendo one, lol 

No one forced you to use Apple too

[Aniallation]

1 hour ago, mbryant said:

Same thing applies with a lot of Sony cameras ( video and photo) 

 

1 hour ago, Bubblewhale said:

Memory stick/Magic Gate was cheaper than Vita cards...

 

Just use a Memory Stick Duo to MicroSD adapter. I have three of them for my Sony cameras and PSP.

[Dabombinable]

1 hour ago, mbryant said:

Same thing applies with a lot of Sony cameras ( video and photo) 

So they went backwards? I've got one of their 10MP cybershot cameras that takes SD cards & Memory sticks (which I have in 64MB and 2GB from my old phone)

[Bleedingyamato]

2 hours ago, Mooshi said:

Controllers are the only things worth buying 1st party from consoles. 

That's not entirely correct in my experience.  I bought 2 non-Sony brand PS2 memory cards years ago when the PS2 was still the current Sony home console and 1 Sony card.  One or both of the off brand cards (both purchased from a Best Buy) died but not the Sony card.  

 

I suppose it could've just been bad luck but I'm not sure.  

 

 

In the case of SD cards though Sandisk or Samsung would be fine and without the high prices a Switch/Nintendo branded SD card would cost.  

[Puddleuk]

The article was updated. Turns out the RRP is much lower (still more than other options) but the retailers have marked it up for whatever reason.

 

"Correction: While Amazon.jp has the price listed for these cards as one figure, it appears that third parties have marked up the price to levels above what the manufacturer intended. The HORI site has the 32 GB card listed as  ¥ 3,758, which is still more than most similar microSD cards, but not as much as the listed Amazon price was indicating. Also, since the publication of this article, the third party listing has also lowered its price, though still not to the level HORI lists."

 

So about $33 / £26.

[Carclis]

So as per usual the "extras" for consoles are overpriced. The only difference here is that the Nintendo Switch system is overpriced unlike your typical console which is sold at a loss/at cost.

[Xanthe_2871]

1 hour ago, Puddleuk said:

The article was updated. Turns out the RRP is much lower (still more than other options) but the retailers have marked it up for whatever reason.

 

"Correction: While Amazon.jp has the price listed for these cards as one figure, it appears that third parties have marked up the price to levels above what the manufacturer intended. The HORI site has the 32 GB card listed as  ¥ 3,758, which is still more than most similar microSD cards, but not as much as the listed Amazon price was indicating. Also, since the publication of this article, the third party listing has also lowered its price, though still not to the level HORI lists."

 

So about $33 / £26.

Yes  I mentioned that in my original post:

4 hours ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

While it's since been noted on the article that the true markup is less than 3X it's still being priced at a premium without offering any actual advantage.

 

[GoodBytes]

The manufacture is HORI, not Nintendo!

Please correct click bait title.

 

It is even mentioned in big on the micro-SD card pictures in your article.

 

The Nintendo Switch works with any brand micro-SD card. At the NIntendo Switch event, they showed the console work with 256GB Samsung microSD card, to show that it can support this quantity (the largest microSD card available to consumers). Nintendo mentioned that the console supports up to 2TB ones when they'll come out.

[Maslofski]

lol, i read it as the name of a new handheld, the "3X". felt quite reasonable that way

[Mooshi]

6 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Made for idiots just like the console

U wot m8

 

1 Zelda title alone is greater than half the garbage shoveled onto Steam. 

[Yoinkerman]

I already bought two 64gb cards for my switches doe

[Xanthe_2871]

8 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

The manufacture is HORI, not Nintendo!

Please correct click bait title.

 

It is even mentioned in big on the micro-SD card pictures in your article.

 

The Nintendo Switch works with any brand micro-SD card. At the NIntendo Switch event, they showed the console work with 256GB Samsung microSD card, to show that it can support this quantity (the largest microSD card available to consumers). Nintendo mentioned that the console supports up to 2TB ones when they'll come out.

Not sure how to change the title. I don't think of that as click bait though, because they are Nintendo Switch Branded, with an agreement between the two companies. But if you would like it changed please show me how!

 

That's true but many parents won't have that event knowledge.